The nice thing about Facebook has been the coalescing of random Churbucks around the FB group. “All Things Churbuckian” organized by Paula Churbuck. One of the Churbucks to come out of the woodwork was Frederick Churbuck, a young man from Colorado who pinged me in an email with a question about how were we related.
I have no idea — but shared my theory that some semi-literate ancestor in Southeastern Massachusetts (The Churbuck name seems to be concentrated in Middleboro, Wareham and the Upper Cape) messed up the first “B” in “Chubbuck”, didn’t close the bottom loop and left it open as an “R”. Hence Churbuck is a typo from Chubbuck, of which there is also a sizable population in the same aforementioned towns.
Frederick asked if I knew of the place where he spent his summers, a grand mansion on the seaside of Buzzard’s Bay with the name of “Windsway.”
I had not, but on Thanksgiving my daughter and I set out for Old Silver Beach in West Falmouth, and under dramatic lowering skies, saw off to the northwest a pretty impressive house on a peninsula. Just as Frederick described it.
Was it “Windsway?”
Here’s the picture I took.
Frederick says it is at the end of Wild Harbor Road, and indeed, this is the last stop on Wild Harbor Road.
Amazing. And no, I didn’t come from that branch of Churbuck. Apparently the best known of the Falmouth Churbucks is the painter Leander. Of the rest of that branch, I know very little. I wish I were retired and could indulge my geneological urges. Alas. I cannot.
Update: George Taylor sent in the following picture of Windsway in its heyday. I like it better this way, the way it was.
I have a picture of Windsway from way back when. Your picture was taken from the exact same spot as mine. Tell me where to send the picture and I will.
George — can you email it to me? David AT churbuck.com?
Maybe a drunken ‘Starbuck’ w/ a slight speech impediment when signing up for something, or other back in the Colonial days…I’m just sayin’…
God. It is so crazy to see how it’s changed. What an amazing house…and a fantastic story to be honest. The neighbors used to be the “Brinks”–an extremely wealthy family from the mid-west I believe…at the time of my youth, the only other structure on the peninsula. It was crazy and fantastic during thunderstorms…we had some really amazing times at that house.
Did you get the picture?
The house, indeed, did carry the name Windsway and was at the end of Point Rd which was the distal extension of Wild Harbor Rd in North Falmouth. On a map, the point is identified at Nye’s Neck, and it is a neck; but all refer to the Point and the small community of houses which lead up to it as Wild Harbor. In the 1950s and through the 60s, Windsway was owned by the Churbuck family who hailed from Hinsdale, IL. Lou and Mary Lou were the parents. They had three children: Marshall, Betty and my best friend Fred (Frederick David Churbuck)_ at his wedding, held at The Harvard Club in Boston, I was Fred’s best man. The photo above with the American flag on the flagpole was the house as I knew it. During that time period there were only two houses on the point, the Churbuck “cottage”, as the family often referred to it, and the Brink house which carried the name Sea Brink. Brink owned the C I Brink Co, an advertising concern that was in the roadside billboard business. The balance of the land on the point was owned jointly by my father Gus and his younger brother Peter. In the mid-sixties my father built a very modest house on the point which raised the housing census on the point to the grand total of three. Some years subsequent to that my dad and uncle sold off their land on the Point with the result that the Point is now fully developed_ for better or for worse. Good for the new property owners, bad for the habitat. I was personally very, very saddened and disappointed to see the Point developed. The pheasants and the quail are now gone. It’s just another, albeit very exclusive, oceanfront development. Sigh. As Joni sang, “… paved paradise and put up a parking lot…”. But that is now. Then, for us, it was friendship, the clandestine smoking of cigarettes, Beetle Cats, trying and never succeeding to pick up girls, sexual experimentation and coming of age, making out in Windsway’s vast wrap-around porch that faced into the southwest and received the evening velvet breezes that gushed of possibility.
Well Fred, if you’re out there, find me on Facebook and get in touch. I’d love that… I hope the years have treated you with kindness. j
Jim Summers:
My family owns a house in Wild Harbor (and has since the 50’s), and every summer for as long as I can remember, I would walk down Point Road, mostly to marvel at the SeaBrink home. Sadly, it seems to have been on the market for a few years now, and it appears signs of decay are beginning to show on that lovely, Gatsby-era exterior. I am curious to learn more about SeaBrink’s history, and about the family of S.E. Brink who built it. Unfortunately I am unable to find much information online, and the best I have come across is the short bit you wrote above (which was very informative, so thank you). Do you know of anywhere that I could find more detailed information, or do you have photos you could upload and share? I have to wonder how the old Point Road looked, before it was taken over by the rather large and newly built summer homes.
I wish you all the best, and thank you for sharing.
Madeleine
Hey Jimmy & Fred – we’re writing a book on the point.
Any history – pics are appreciated. Also any further details on the Brinks and who they passed the home to.
Bob Whitcher
Hello to Fred and Jim,
My family came to New Silver Beach in 1954 and I do remember sailing the Beetle Cats out of Wild Harbor with both of you. My sailing partners were the Adams’, the Raffertys, Larry Noonan, Jim Murphy, Charlie Bleiler, Danny Webster and Mike Shea.
I am happy to say that I now own the family homestead on Ocean View Ave. and live here year round. It was built in 1902, and still stands proud through all these years. The sailing program here is still very active, although there are less Beetle Cats and lots of 420’s. Most importantly, the association still shows movies every Sunday night on the tennis courts for the little ones.
Many of the families I’ve mentioned above, are still enjoying this community and are now watching their grandchildren grow up here. It is still a magical place for children and adults, alike. It is wonderful to hear your stories and to know that, in many ways, we all have a fondness for this beautiful spot on Cape Cod.
Wishing you both well,
Joanie Doyle
Hi Bob,
I grew up spending summers on New Silver, and have done a lot of research on Seabrink and the Brinks. I would love to share the information if it would be helpful for your book. Please feel free to contact me at jrodgers@mavrideslaw.com.
Best,
Julia
Sea brink is currently undergoing a much needed renovation!